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Bringing you the fruit of old Barossa vineyards, which have been handed down from generation to generation, crafted in the traditional old world way, by a commune of family growers who have delivered the most memorable vintages since early settlement. The label says Soul Growers but the harvests were historically bottled by the nation's most illustrious brands. Today, these veteran families of Australian viticulture can bring their princely harvests to market under a moniker that defines a tradition of village winemaking and a culture of reverence for the land. Ancient rootstock Grenache and Mourvedre, bespoke clones of Cabernet and Shiraz, prodigal plots of Pinot Noir. This magnificent range of varietals are all remarkable for their seamlessness, succulence of fruit and velvet tannins. Only the finest old vineyards are.. Views of venerable old vines»
After hearing tall tales of the Victorian klondike, he jumped ship and made his way to the Castlemaine goldfields. Black Jack mined no fortune but he found his fame as the only American mariner to still be savoured alongside have claimed the eminent M.Chapoutier Trophy for Best Shiraz at the prestigious Le Concours des Vinson on no fewer than three occasions... Found berth in the australian colonies during the goldrush of the 1850s»
Dr Frederick Kiel would take the trek by paddle steamer from Melbourne every summer during the late 1800s to spend his summers at Sorrento. His children established a grazing station nearby, on a property acquired from the Baillieu family along Portsea Ocean Beach, ultimately planted to vineyards in 2000. These are the most extreme western longitudes of Mornington, the undulating paddocks and sweeping views of tempestuous Bass Strait are a magical place for growing Burgundesque styles of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, well protected north facing parcels of propitious free draining limestone and calcareous sands. The windswept maritime vineyards of little Portsea Estate yield the quality of Mornington that have to be experienced... Mornington's westernmost vineyards»

Mr Riggs Gaffer Shiraz CONFIRM VINTAGE

Cabernet Sauvignon McLaren Vale South Australia
John The Gaffer Riggs (1814-1902), great great great grandfather of Ben Riggs, migrated from Dorsetshire and settled in Gawler 1855. One of South Australia's most prominent farmers, he owned hundreds of acres dedicated to wheat. His sheep flock was also highly regarded and his methods progressive for the time. Success in the wheat trade was matched by significant awards at exhibitions in Sydney, London and Paris. Ben Riggs' own love of the land and his passion for it's offerings are directly attributable to the efforts of his far sighted ancestor.
Available by the dozen
Case of 12
$275.00
Sourced from some of the finest sites as managed by the best growers. McLaren Vale is a region which boasts the perfect climate for grape growing, warm summers, low humidity, good winter rain and long autumns to ensure that grapes achieve ripeness, flavour, acid and balance. Beginning with the 2006 vintage, thirty cents from each bottle has been donated to the Pink Ribbon campaign, the aim being to raise funds for breast cancer research and heighten awareness for the cause along the way. Parcels of the finest McLaren Vale Shiraz are fermented in a high proportion of new French oak barrels, followede by a term of maturation, to achieve full integration of tannins and fruit with a fragrant lift.
Luscious violet, red velvet hue. The nose is delicately perfumed with clean aromas, currants, cocoa and plums are seasoned by green pepper spice, cloves and vanilla anise. Lovely Shiraz fruit over a background of gentle French oak, a big, rich, juicy, smooth style of red wine, exhibiting a soft palate, finishing cleanly with true elegance and a hint of spice. Our Gaffer is a flavoursome, fruit driven, full bodied Shiraz that's well balanced and assured to please.
Mr Riggs
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Mr Riggs
And, yes.. Ben does have a vineyard

Located at Kangarilla on the edge of the McLaren Vale designated region, Piebald Gully is a recently planted patch producing fine grade Shiraz, Viognier and Petit Verdot from low yielding hand tended vines. Besides 22 vintages in Australia, Ben has presided over a further eight overseas. Experience has been gained in the Napa Valley, Bordeaux, Greece, Italy and the South of France which gives Ben a broad appreciation of wine styles and winemaking practices. A graduate of Roseworthy (in 1985), Ben has made a major contribution to regional wine industry activities having served 10 years as a board member of McLaren Vale Winemakers Inc. Three of those years saw Ben in the role of Chairman. He also chaired the McLaren Vale Wine Show over a 5-year period. Wines made by Ben have achieved considerable Wine Show Awards success including winning the first two Great Australian Shiraz Challenges. More than 20 trophies have been won and in 1993, Wirra Wirra 1991 Angelus was declared the winner of the Sydney International Top 100 wine awards.

Mr Riggs

As a winemaker, Ben achieved Bushing King status in 2000 - a unique award that recognises the maker of the best wine at the McLaren Vale Wine Show. Ben's most recent award was winning the Consumers' Award at the 2004 South Australian Hyatt Advertiser Wine of the Year Awards with his 2003 Mr Riggs Shiraz Viognier (the first release of this wine, by the way). Married to Annie with young sons, Baxter and Austin, Ben is committed to championing McLaren Vale's global Shiraz reputation, as well as exploring wine styles from other regions. It is that passion which is driving him to do things his way and showcase not just the region's greatest winegrape variety but to give a free rein to his particular winemaking and wine marketing skills.

Located at the base of the Willunga Foothills in the central part of the McLaren Vale wine region, Monapilla vineyard is virtually dry grown, as the soil has excellent water holding capacity, and the focus is very much on low yields of high quality grapes. The warm Mediterranean summer temperatures are moderated by the often-fierce gully winds, which come down from the hills in the early evening. Monapilla vineyard is a prime McLaren Vale Shiraz vineyard. Mr Riggs' very own vineyard, Piebald Gully is located in the cool subregion of Clarendon at approximately 265m, to the east of the McLaren Vale wine region. Ripening occurs at Piebald Gully sometimes up to two weeks later than in the rest of McLaren Vale, and the area averages some 30% more rainfall (700mm pa) than the rest of the district.

Angas Vineyard at Langhorne Creek is the result of the happy coming together of a group of wine industry mates who decided in 1997 that the region was a great spot for vines. Consisting mainly of floodplains, the region has fine, deep and generally fertile soils and is quite unique, in that it benefits from winter flooding from the Bremer River. Planted over fertile sandy loams, Angas Vineyard provides Mr Riggs with both Shiraz and Viognier, which has made its way into both the Viognier and the Shiraz Viognier.

Mr Riggs

The Penny's Hill vineyard departs from the McLaren Vale norm as far as vineyard set up goes. Established by Adelaide advertising man Tony Parky Parkinson and his wife Susie, the vineyards were set up by industry mogul, David Paxton, and are managed by David's off-sider, Toby Bekkers. Located in the central foothills of McLaren Vale, soils are unprepossessing, being shallow and stony, with low vigour and low moisture holding capacity. Perfect for growing high quality grapes, as it turns out.

Set up in 1987 to provide a cool climate alternative to McLaren Vale, Kuitpo vineyard is located in the southern Mount lofty ranges of the Adelaide Hills. Cooler, wetter and with a heat summation similar to areas of the Napa, Sonoma or Bordeaux, Kuitpo's average January temperature is only 19.8 deg C, as compared to that of McLaren Vale's, which is 21.7 C. This appears to be a small difference, but proves significant in grape ripening terms. Mr Riggs uses Viognier and Riesling from the Kuitpo vineyard. Viticulturist Geoff forms part of the sixth generation of the well-known Australian Hardy wine family. Breakneck Creek is adjacent to the Penny's Hill vineyard in the central foothills of McLaren vale. Planted in 1993 by respected McLaren Vale grape grower, Ian Leask, the vineyard benefits from all of the McLaren Vale climatic positives which help make McLaren Vale such a high quality wine region. The site, as with the Penny's Hill vineyard, also derives additional cooling influences from the gully winds, which spring up in the evenings and come down from the hills. By combining a high-tech water monitoring system, minimal drip irrigation and smart viticulture, these sensitive soils are a prime site for quality Shiraz, a fact Mr Riggs was very quick to recognize.

Quandong Farm is situated in the Seaview district, one of the 5 recognized subregions of McLaren Vale to the north of the region. Vines were planted on a west-facing slope in 1996. The vineyard benefits from the cooling sea breezes that come off the Gulf St. Vincent on summer afternoons even more so than the vineyards on the valley floor, in fact. Soils are shallow sandy loams over limestone. Planted to approximately 17 hectares of Shiraz, only a fraction of that is used in the Mr Riggs wines. Quandong Farm is yet another superior site for Shiraz.

Yacca Paddock was set up by film director Scott Hicks and wife Kerry Heysen Hicks to create their very own paradise in the Adelaide Hills. A cool, temperate climate, with temperatures on average 2.5 C cooler than vineyards only 5km down the road as the crow flies in McLaren Vale, this is a premium site for the Tempranillo and Riesling, which Ben uses for Mr Riggs. The site also receives considerably more rainfall than down the road an average of 850mm per annum, as compared to the McLaren Vale average of approximately 650mm. Ancient podzolic soils combine with modern viticultural tactics as well as being next door to Geoff Hardy's Kuitpo Vineyard, the vines are also managed by Geoff.

Mr Riggs